I am excited to annouce that I will be interviewing Kyle MacDonald of One Red Paper Clip fame shortly in support of the CMA’s “From Mass to Grass” Word of Mouth Marketing Conference. I am putting out the word to The Client Side community to send in your questions for Kyle for an upcoming podcast.
Three simple ways to participate:
1. Call 1 206 666 2242 and leave an audio comment that I will play on the show
2. Email a question to: mlseaton AT gmail DOT com
3. Leave a comment on this post.
Kyle and I look forward to answering your questions.

The unit of New York media conglomerate Time Warner Inc. said it will keep the Life brand going on the internet, where it will start a Web site with photos from its image collection, and by publishing books. The company cited the “decline in the newspaper business” and the poor advertising outlook as factors in its decision. ….. 15 editorial workers and 27 in Time’s business department will be laid off.

This episode features an interview with C.C. Chapman and Jay Moonah at a Geek Dinner the night before the AIMS event on Second Life.
In the News and Adjust the Pitch segments will return soon.
Comment line is always open, call 1 206 666 2242 and share your thoughts or ask a question.Show Notes

We have all seen bad presentations. Worse are the mediocre ones that manage to bore us to tears – and they are, unfortunately, not in short supply. In most cases, the presenters are smart people who know their subject matter. So, what is the problem? Well, as with most things, it is all in the details.
Presentations are more art than science. While it is typically uncommon to have an art form follow a specific formula, it kind of works with presentations in terms of the elements that help deliver something meaningful and memorable. And, the elements contained in great presentations apply across all spectrums including public speaking, boardroom settings or a one-to-one sales pitch.
I don’t know about you, but I have yet to recall anything from a presentation where words on slides were the prevailing feature. However, I fondly remember (in detail) great stories and storytellers. These are the folks that use images over words and engage with an honest and compelling approach to the subject at hand. The ones who manage to energize, motivate and educate in a way that is conducive to their cause and yours. Many of these individuals are not naturals. Far from it. I know this because I have asked them. The secrect they have in common is that they have learned from others, applied and practiced the craft with the focused mindset of doing better.
I’d like to think I’ve learned a thing or two in speaking to a wide range of audiences over the years. The most important learning was to strive to use each speaking engagement as an opportunity to do better. It’s kind of like tennis in that you have to play to improve.
My mission today is to simply share a few tips that I have found useful. It is not comprehensive, just top of mind points that I hope will help:
– Speak from the heart and from experience.
– Know your audience and their needs – get a good understanding of what they expect from your presentation.
– Craft a story then tell it, don’t read it. Reading your slides is quite silly when you think about it. You could have just sent the deck (certainly you can use notes, I am talking literally about reading slides – happens all the time and is always awful)
– Don’t ever forget that content is king.
– Use a central point or key message that everything else hinges on. Think thesis point as in essay writing.
– At the end, what is your call-to-action? What are you asking your audience to do as a result of your presentation?
– Use less words on slides – in fact if you can get away with using none and conveying your thoughts/points with image then do so. A picture is worth ….
– Humor should be used at your own risk. If you are not a comedian, leave the jokes to the pros.
– Nerves are natural. Don’t worry if you are nervous, everybody is nervous when they present.
– Learn the art of the pause when you speak. It is your friend.
– Practice, practice, practice. Winston Churchill prescribed that for every one minute of public speaking he prepared for one full hour. Churchill is famously quoted as saying “I’m just preparing my impromptu remarks”. When you are under prepared it is at your own peril.
– Record yourself – either video or audio. As painful as it may be to watch/listen it will help you see what others see.
– Do it with passion. If you don’t believe in it, then how could you possibly make others believe?
– Always remember that your audience wants you to succeed. Be positive and exude positive energy. SMILE.
– Leave time for questions.
If you would like to add more to the list, drop me a comment. Also, let me know if you are interested in some great resources on this subject – I’d be happy to share other items I have found useful. A couple that spring to mind are the guys over at Inside PR did a couple of podcasts discussing this very subject and Presentation Zen is always a gem of a resource.

The Canadian Marketing Association offers an outstanding roster of professional certificate courses across a variety of areas in marketing. I am happy to report that I have been asked to take on the duties of teaching the CMA E-Marketing Certificate Course starting in the fall of 2007 and I am really looking forward to the opportunity.
Ken Schafer of One Degree and TuCows has been the course instructor since it all began a few years ago. Ken is stepping down after this semester and is leaving me with some pretty big shoes to fill.
I have been sitting in on the classes over the first few sessions to get a first-hand feel for the material and am very impressed by the students and level of questions being asked. Smart bunch of people there who seem passionate about the space.
One thing that I find interesting is that, even though everyone is compelled to learn and has heard about blogs, podcasts, RSS and other pieces of social media, many have yet to check out these new forms of media and communications for themselves. In other words, they have yet to experience the experience.
The wealth of information on these topics (or any for that matter) are abundant. My suggestion (as I relay to other audiences as well) is that there is no better way to learn than diving in yourself. Start reading blogs, listening to podcasts, setting up your RSS feeds. Be a purposeful lurker, observer and experimenter.
Shape your mind and form your opinions from the inside-out. Only then can these powerful tools and concepts be understood at a deeper level and applied to a unique situation, be it business or personal. It really is that simple.

Episode # 11 of The Client Side is now posted.
If you are interested in podcasting, this episode covers some territory courtesy of Rob Walch of Podcast 411. I interviewed Rob a few weeks ago and we spoke about podcasting software, interview techniques, editing versus non-editing and a host of other tidbits on the topic of podcasting.
As always, call in with an audio comment or question at 206 666 2242.